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Kshitij Raj Sharma
Kshitij Raj Sharma

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Install open source version of VSCode in Ubuntu / Debian

#programming #ubuntu

As a developer, you're likely no stranger to Visual Studio Code (VS Code), a popular, feature-rich code editor developed by Microsoft. However, if you're looking for an open-source alternative that offers similar functionality, look no further than VSCodium.

Why VSCodium?

VSCodium is a community-driven, open-source fork of VS Code. It's designed to be compatible with VS Code extensions and settings, making it an attractive alternative for developers who want to avoid proprietary software.

Installing VSCodium on Ubuntu/Debian

Step 1: Add the VSCodium Repository

First, add the VSCodium repository to your system:

wget -qO - https://gitlab.com/paulcarroty/vscodium-deb-rpm-repo/raw/master/pub.gpg \
    | gpg --dearmor \
    | sudo dd of=/usr/share/keyrings/vscodium-archive-keyring.gpg
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Then, add the repository:

echo 'deb [arch=amd64,arm64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/vscodium-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.vscodium.com/debs vscodium main' \
    | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscodium.list
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Step 2: Update and Install VSCodium

Update your package list and install VSCodium:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install codium
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Configuring VSCodium

Once installed, you can configure VSCodium to use the code command, just like VS Code:

sudo ln -s /usr/bin/codium /usr/bin/code
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Verify that the code command is working:

code --version
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Using VSCodium

You can now launch VSCodium using the code command:

code .
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or

code file.txt
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This will open VSCodium with the specified file or directory.

Resources

Known Issues

  • Some VS Code extensions may not work with VSCodium due to differences in the underlying architecture.
  • VSCodium may not receive updates as frequently as VS Code.

If you're interested in contributing to the project, check out the VSCodium GitHub repository.

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